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Cast your netBuilding professional relationships gives you an edge in graduate school and beyond.
“Networking has been an important part in shaping my professional identity,” says Liberatore, a fifth-year doctoral student at Alliant International University in Los Angeles. “Getting outside of the classroom shortens that gap between us and actual psychologists.” And one relationship often leads to others. When he interviewed for a practicum position, the supervisor was an alumni of his school and a former chair of the California Psychological Association of Graduate Students (CPAGS)—a position that Liberatore now holds. That instant connection helped him stand out among other applicants and secure the placement.
Recently, when Liberatore applied for a full-time internship, he found yet another connection: His Twin Towers supervisor was a former intern at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles and still conducts assessments there. “Those connections gave me a foot in the door,” says Liberatore, who started that internship in October. Once your qualifications meet the organization’s basic criteria, “knowing somebody really does help,” he says. In fact, if you don’t schmooze, you may lose, experts say. Building contacts can not only lead to internship, practicum and research collaboration opportunities in graduate school but also to postgraduate job openings. Indeed, about 31 percent of recent psychology doctorate recipients report the most successful method of finding a job is through informal channels, such as networking with professors, colleagues and friends, according to APA’s 2003 Doctorate Employment Survey. How can you build a network? Experts suggest students seek opportunities to meet new people, overcome their nerves, do some research to initiate contact effectively and follow up so they aren’t forgotten. SEEK OUT OPPORTUNITIES Students don’t have to go far to build a network. Molly Clark, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of family medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, periodically contacts past advisers, supervisors and fellow classmates to expand her professional network. “If people know where you are located and your career goals, they can be an extra set of eyes and ears to locate opportunities,” Clark says. Too often, she says, these are the easiest and most underused sources for information and connections. Stretch beyond your comfort zone too, says the APA Science Directorate’s senior scientist, Clare Porac, PhD, who has spoken at career workshops. Porac encourages students to go beyond their department and intermingle across psychology and occupational fields. Why? Many academic positions seek applicants who have broad experiences, and it’s important for research collaboration and in business settings that students understand and appreciate diversity, Porac says. Experts also offer the following ideas to build a network:
“No one is going to seek you out as a graduate student,” Porac says. “You are going to have to seek out the opportunities yourself.” GET PAST HANG UPS However, fear of embarrassment or of being rejected can hold students back from making connections, says Pauline Wallin, PhD, a private practitioner in Camp Hill, Pa., who often provides career guidance to students. To curb your nerves, start out by tagging along with outgoing students or your adviser. Once you gain some confidence, strike out on your own by focusing networking on specific tasks. Volunteer for the faculty search committee or an association’s advocacy event, for example. Indeed, successful networking relationships are often built on trust, which can be spurred by working with others on projects and committees, according to researchers Monica Forret, PhD, and Sherry Sullivan, PhD, in an article about networking in Organizational Dynamics (Vol. 31, No. 3, pages 245–258). Once you’re in a situation to tap contacts for advice, what do you say? Some tips to initiating contact include:
“At this point, you don’t have a reputation or specialty, but you do have a personality,” Wallin says.
“Asking people for a story can be very powerful,” Wallin explains. Also, after a lecture, you might ask speakers to send you some of their research. If you’ve studied the topic too, briefly share some of your findings.
Even so, “You won’t get lengthy responses or it might take two weeks for them to respond,” says Joshua Rosenthal, a fifth-year clinical psychology doctoral student at Long Island University, who has landed practicum positions and grown his company, TherapyMatch.com, from networking. Don’t assume they are brushing you off if you don’t hear back right away, but realize they may be busy, Rosenthal says. Make it easy for them to respond, such as with specific questions that fit their interests and expertise, he adds.
That’s what David Cades did, and, he says, it helped him land his top choice for graduate school—George Mason University’s human factors and applied cognition program. Before he applied, he arranged to meet the head of the graduate department and several students at a national conference and visited the research lab. MAINTAIN CONTACT Once you’ve identified common interests, follow up with an e-mail or phone call every few months, Friedman suggests. For example, you might send them congratulations on their accomplishments, keep them apprised of yours or forward them an occasional research study or news story that pertains to their interests. “That keeps your name there,” Wallin says. “You aren’t asking for something then, but you are giving something.” However, networking isn’t just a means to employment. You network throughout your career to forge better connections with individuals in your field, Porac adds. “Sometimes you will be successful, sometimes not,” she says. “But put yourself out there.” When you do, you’ll create a strong support system that can also provide you with the reinforcement and confidence you need to help get you through the stresses of graduate school, Liberatore says. “There are other students that when they come to the end of graduate school, I get the feeling from them that they haven’t had the experience that I’ve had,” he notes. “They feel isolated and kind of left out there, not knowing which direction to go. The route I’ve taken has prepared me for what I know is going to be ahead of me. The support is so vital.” By Melissa Dittmann Tracey Melissa Dittmann Tracey is a writer in Chicago. Related article …Also in CAREER center …
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Eventually, he discovered that same supervisor was a former intern at Twin Towers Correctional
Facility in Los Angeles—where Liberatore wanted to apply for a half-time internship. His
supervisor wrote him a letter of recommendation, which he says helped him land the position.
Join local, state and national professional organizations, such as the American Psychological
Association of Graduate Students, your state psychological association and APA divisions. Then,
join one of the group’s committees, such as its membership outreach committee, so you have
ample opportunities to connect with members, suggests psychologist Lynn Friedman, PhD, a career
consultant and associate faculty member at Johns Hopkins University.
